{"id":319270,"date":"2026-06-02T15:18:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/319270\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T15:18:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:18:40","slug":"top-takeaways-from-the-primary-runoff-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/319270\/","title":{"rendered":"Top takeaways from the primary runoff elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

A still-raging U.S. Senate primary between Republicans John Cornyn<\/a> and Ken Paxton<\/a> fueled big upsets all the way down-ballot in last week\u2019s runoff elections.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Democrats didn\u2019t have a big-ticket race on the ballot and saw a return to normal among their voters, who rejected some of the potentially problematic candidates who advanced from the March primary.<\/p>\n

Republicans\u2019 U.S. Senate race was rocked by a last-minute Trump endorsement<\/a> for Paxton, but Cornyn\u2019s 28-point loss<\/a> was still quite shocking considering that national Republicans broke spending records trying to help him over the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the margin in that race surprised everyone, including me,\u201d said San Antonio political strategist Kelton Morgan, who got his start working for Arizona Republican John McCain.<\/p>\n

The result was a number of losses for moderates in GOP primaries all the way down the ballot \u2014 from Trump-backed Carlos De La Cruz<\/a>\u2018s win over<\/a> state Rep. John Lujan<\/a> (R-San Antonio) in the 35th Congressional District, to a longtime incumbent knocked out by his far-right challenger<\/a> in a race to serve on the state\u2019s Railroad Commission.<\/p>\n

Just three months ago, Democrats were in a similar position.<\/p>\n

A divisive matchup<\/a> between U.S. Senate hopefuls James Talarico<\/a> and Jasmine Crockett <\/a>rocked that party\u2019s March primary and fueled many surprises and upsets<\/a> in races down-ballot.<\/p>\n

But Democrats\u2019 Senate nomination was decided outright in March<\/a>, yielding a much smaller turnout and more predictable choices in last week\u2019s Democratic primary runoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocrats had many low-information voters turn out in the first round,\u201d said San Antonio Democratic strategist Bert Santiba\u00f1ez. \u201cWhereas, the Democrats who showed up for a runoff without there being a top-of-ticket highlight, they\u2019re going to be more queued-up on the candidates, so you\u2019re going to see a lot more informed decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Democrats on the West Side, for example, overwhelmingly chose labor-endorsed Adrian Reyna<\/a> over a former Bexar County Constable<\/a> with a long history of scandal<\/a> in reliably blue Texas House District 125.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile the roughly $1 million<\/a> that Republicans supposedly spent<\/a> boosting controversial housing activist Maureen Galindo<\/a> as Democrats\u2019 nominee for the highly contested 35th Congressional District seemed to fall flat \u2014 with establishment pick Johnny Garcia<\/a> winning by 28 points.<\/p>\n

Now that the primary runoffs are behind us, Republicans and Democrats have their candidates for November locked in. <\/p>\n

For some of Tuesday\u2019s races, like Texas House District 125<\/a> and Bexar County\u2019s District Attorney race<\/a>, the primary was likely the main event.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, some of the most highly targeted races in the state<\/a> and nation<\/a> are right in our backyard \u2014 and just beginning to heat up.<\/p>\n

Last week\u2019s results offer some early indications of what that November landscape might look like, and set the scene for an election where Paxton and Talarico\u2019s U.S. Senate race will be the main driver of attention in Texas.<\/p>\n

Here are the top takeaways the San Antonio Report had from the primary runoff elections.<\/p>\n

1. Jaw-dropping margin, shaky enthusiasm in GOP Senate race<\/p>\n

After last week, Republicans are in agreement that Trump is a king-maker when it comes to GOP primaries \u2014 Paxton sailed to victory while Cornyn joined the list of other Trump critics defeated in Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana and all across Texas in Tuesday\u2019s runoffs.<\/p>\n

\"\"Senator John Cornyn, right, and former senator Phil Gramm talk to members of the press after a voter rally event at the Towers on Park Lane on the first day of early voting for the runoff election on May 18, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

But what they\u2019re less sure about after Tuesday\u2019s night\u2019s 28-point spread is how exactly Trump\u2019s endorsement influenced voters\u2019 behavior.<\/p>\n

Republican turnout in the runoff dropped by about a third<\/a> from the March primary \u2014 still higher than usual, but an enormous amount of money was spent by Cornyn allies trying to find and turn out his likely supporters.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear whether Trump\u2019s support for Paxton changed voters\u2019 minds, drove out more Paxton supporters, or, as Morgan believes, caused Cornyn supporters to give up on his chances and stay home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWere there a ginormous number of people who were pro-Cornyn, and saw that Trump endorsed Paxton, and switched their votes? I don\u2019t think it\u2019s that,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cIt\u2019s more likely to me that you had Republicans who saw the Trump endorsement and said, \u2018OK, it\u2019s over for Cornyn.’\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Cornyn\u2019s loss also shaped lower races<\/p>\n

That dynamic was tough for other Republicans on the ballot to overcome, even in races where Trump didn\u2019t get involved. <\/p>\n

For example, longtime Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright<\/a> lost by roughly half a percentage point to conservative firebrand Bo French<\/a> \u2014 despite Trump\u2019s absence from the race and Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s best efforts to help Wright.<\/p>\n

\"\"Railroad Commission of Texas Chair Jim Wright welcomes Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the mic to speak to voters at Mission Open Air Flea Market on May 20, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy<\/a> (R-Dripping Springs) said his polling showed<\/a> he\u2019d basically closed the gap in the Attorney General runoff headed into early voting.<\/p>\n

Roy wound up coming back significantly from his second-place finish in the March primary \u2014 but still lost to state Sen. Mayes Middleton<\/a> (R-Galveston) by five percentage points.<\/p>\n

\"\"U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs) appeared to be waging a comeback in his Attorney General runoff, but that path got tougher when supporters of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn\u2019s (R-Texas) saw the Trump endorsement as a hopeless case. Credit: San Antonio Report \/ Leigh Munsil<\/p>\n

Headed into November, some Republicans say they need candidates who inspire their party\u2019s voters for an election where Trump won\u2019t be on the ballot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no way around it. The MAGA movement is still very powerful,\u201d said former Bexar County Republican Party Vice Chair Kyle Sinclair<\/a>. \u201cPresident Trump is still the face and head of the Republican Party.\u201d <\/p>\n

Others say Paxton, who brings much baggage from his\u00a0past legal troubles<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0highly public affair<\/a>, will only exacerbate an enthusiasm gap that\u2019s currently working in Democrats\u2019 favor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen all is said and done, it\u2019s about who is the most energized. Right now that\u2019s Democrats,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cThere are a couple of political lifetimes between now and then \u2026 but Texas has been the football that we get up against Charlie Brown for 30 years. This looks like the best opportunity Democrats have had in a long time to return to competitiveness in statewide races, [because of] a combination of a really strong Democratic candidate, and a really terrible Republican candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Texas Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton speaks to supporters and Republican voters at a meet-and-greet event with TX23 hopeful Brandon Herrera at The Divide in Northwest Bexar County on April 30, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

3. A referendum on progressive justice reforms in DA race?<\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s results in Democrats\u2019 District Attorney runoff mark\u00a0a shift for a county<\/a>\u00a0that progressive groups targeted with $1 million<\/a> to elect Democrat Joe Gonzales in 2018 \u2014 and made it one of Texas\u2019 most closely watched experiments in progressive prosecution.<\/p>\n

With Gonzales retiring this year, Democrats were choosing between former Fourth Court of Appeals Justice\u00a0Luz Elena Chapa<\/a>\u00a0and longtime prosecutor\u00a0Jane Davis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both are progressive Democrats who generally support justice reforms, but Chapa\u2019s internal polling indicated early that Democrats were deeply unhappy with Gonzales and the state of the DA\u2019s office, opening up a lane for an outsider in a field of seasoned prosecutors.<\/p>\n

\"\"Joe Gonzales claims victory in the Democratic primary election for Bexar County District Attorney in 2018. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Her campaign consistently attacked a dysfunctional DA\u2019s office<\/a> and an opponent that helped lead<\/a> it. Chapa also won support from the police union that progressives typically don\u2019t trust \u2014 in a county that\u2019s only grown bluer since Gonzales was first elected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an interesting time with narratives on police,\u201d said Brielle Insler, a progressive political strategist who wasn\u2019t involved in the DA\u2019s race. \u201cWhat I heard from Chapa [on the trail] is that she\u2019s had her own experiences and distrusts with police in her life, but as a DA, you have to work with the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

Personal adversity, compassion drive Luz Elena Chapa in tough District Attorney race<\/a><\/p>\n

As for the justice reform movement, Morgan, who consulted on Chapa\u2019s campaign, stressed that both candidates expressed levels of commitment to continuing such policies. <\/p>\n

That led to a race that was more about experience and an unpopular incumbent \u2014 while progressive groups that enjoyed unprecedented access to the DA\u2019s office under Gonzales went dark this time around<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be the end of a Wren Collective-<\/a> George Soros-era<\/a>, but it\u2019s not the end of criminal justice reform,\u201d Morgan said.<\/p>\n

Chapa will now face Republican\u00a0Ashley Foster<\/a>\u00a0in November \u2014 in a county where Republicans are so down and out, they\u2019ve nearly gone extinct.<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Experience took a back seat<\/p>\n

Despite serious questions about her qualifications \u2014 Chapa has never been a prosecutor and it took her three tries to pass the bar exam \u2014 she finished first in the primary<\/a> and the runoff.<\/a><\/p>\n

Those results come as primary voters across the state seemed unusually willing to look past traditional qualifications for major justice-related roles this year, instead favoring candidates who appeared to align with their broader political values.<\/p>\n

Strategists credited Chapa\u2019s compelling personal story, including childhood adversity and an early brush with law enforcement<\/a>, that led Democrats to choose her over a field of seasoned prosecutors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in the Attorney General race, Republicans gravitated toward Middleton<\/a> \u2014 a state lawmaker known more for his culture wars than his courtroom experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the jobs where you need very specific experience, in my view, Attorney General is probably the most,\u201d Roy said in an interview before last week\u2019s runoff. \u201cI think it matters that you\u2019ve practiced [law] in a meaningful way, and my opponent has not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still Republicans chose Middleton over three other candidates<\/a> with impressive legal resumes in the primary, then again in the runoff.<\/p>\n

They also chose a Paxton ally who has never practiced criminal law in Texas for a seat on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals<\/a> in Tuesday\u2019s runoff election.<\/p>\n

5. A changing face of the Republican Party<\/p>\n

In a changing Texas GOP, Bexar County has long produced some of last remaining moderates \u2014 including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn<\/a> (R-Texas), former U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales<\/a> (R-San Antonio) and state Rep. John Lujan<\/a> (R-San Antonio), to name a few.<\/p>\n

After big losses in the primary, however, one of the state\u2019s largest reliable blue urban centers will also be swapping out its moderate Republicans for new faces from the conservative wing.<\/p>\n

\"\"Congressional candidate and YouTuber Brandon Herrera, left, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, take a photo with Republican activist David Purdy at a meet-and-greet event at The Divide in Northwest Bexar County on April 30, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Gonzales was one of the only survivors of the GOP\u2019s moderate purge<\/a> last election cycle, with big money spent to protect him in the once-swingy Texas\u2019 23rd Congressional District. <\/p>\n

This year he ended his reelection bid<\/a> after finishing second in the March primary<\/a>, making conservative firebrand Brandon Herrera the official GOP nominee<\/a> for a district that Democrats plan to target<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Cornyn and Lujan both finished first in their primaries, but failed to sell voters with their electability arguments in the second round.<\/p>\n

The most shocking results were in Texas\u2019 35th Congressional District, where Lujan\u2019s home court advantage did little to help him against retired Air Force veteran\u00a0Carlos De La Cruz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As expected, the largest share of the votes came from Bexar County, where Lujan\u00a0flipped a Texas House district<\/a>\u00a0entirely within TX35\u2019s boundaries.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0President Donald Trump and House GOP leaders swooped in<\/a>\u00a0to endorse De La Cruz, whose sister U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Edinburg) currently represents the district\u2019s more rural parts.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

In the runoff, De La Cruz not only won the district\u2019s three red counties \u2014 Karnes, Wilson and Guadalupe \u2014 but he also nearly tied Lujan in Bexar County<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Republican Carlos De La Cruz declares victory at his watch party in Texas\u2019 35th Congressional District, while his sister, U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Edinburg) cheers him on. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Lujan said afterward that Trump\u2019s endorsement was too much to overcome with primary voters, but he worried that Republicans now face a tough road ahead.<\/p>\n

Not only did they choose a conservative for a district Democrats are targeting<\/a>, but in the March primary, they also picked a conservative school voucher architect<\/a> over the moderate successor Lujan had lined up<\/a> to run for his swingy state House seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy plan just did not work,\u201d Lujan said of those two races. \u201d \u2026 I really wanted to represent us [in TX35] because it\u2019s going to be a tough seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little is known about how De La Cruz scored endorsements from high-profile leaders in D.C. \u2014 after Lujan said the White House had agreed to stay out<\/a> of the race.<\/p>\n

\"\"State Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio), candidate for Texas\u2019 35th Congressional District, listens to Greg Brockhouse, center, speak as they await results at his campaign watch party at Mission Open Air Market on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. Credit: Jo E. Norris for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Some Republicans say Tuesday\u2019s results are evidence Lujan wasn\u2019t as popular as advertised, and that the party might be better off in November with a newcomer who has less baggage<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Despite that newcomer status, De La Cruz got big financial help from an AI-focused PAC<\/a>, collected checks from a who\u2019s who of GOP leaders<\/a> in D.C., and even landed a fundraiser with Trump\u2019s Health and Human Services secretary, RFK. Jr<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Democrats, for what it\u2019s worth, see him as the weaker candidate to face in November.<\/p>\n

\u201cDe La Cruz lost Bexar County to Lujan,\u201d said Phil Gardner, a strategist with the Blue Dog-aligned PAC helping Democrat Johnny Garcia<\/a> in this race. \u201cI\u2019m sure Johnny will be going after moderate voters who supported Lujan and Cornyn in the past, but aren\u2019t interested in De La Cruz and Paxton\u2019s Republican Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. A last-minute panic for one of Democrats\u2019 top targets<\/p>\n

One of the most surprising twists of the primary season was an overnight spotlight on longtime housing activist Maureen Galindo<\/a>, whose shoestring TX35 campaign wound up drawing roughly $1 million from a Republican group trying to propel a weaker candidate through the primary<\/a> \u2014 and even more than that from Democratic groups trying to shut her down<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the end, Galindo lost by about 28 points, and strategists are split on what that spending actually achieved.<\/p>\n

\"\"TX35 Congressional candidate Maureen Galindo speaks to voters during a meeting at a North East Bexar County Democrats meeting on April 11, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Galindo raised almost no money on her own, and took just 2.5% support in a City Council race<\/a> less than a year before her congressional bid.<\/p>\n

But it was hard to gauge whether<\/a> her first-place finish in the Democratic primary<\/a> was a credit to her outspoken progressive views \u2014 or a fluke in a redrawn district rocked by little-known candidates and nontraditional primary voters.<\/p>\n

How housing activist Maureen Galindo rode a shoestring campaign to a high-profile congressional runoff<\/a><\/p>\n

In the runoff, Gardner said Galindo won absentee ballots, came somewhat closer in early votes than than the final results, and then was trounced by Garcia\u2019s 40-point margin on election day ballots.<\/p>\n

While he believes that\u2019s evidence the outside money was moving the race, some progressives say Galindo drove her own destiny with an approach that veered over from anti-establishment into antisemitism. <\/p>\n

She\u2019s an activist long focused on housing affordability, but in the congressional race became an outspoken critic of Israel and the war in Iran, and near the end called for turning an ICE detention into a \u201cprison for American Zionists.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of talk about outside money coming in from dark money PACs \u2014 [but] I don\u2019t necessarily think that\u2019s what fueled her,\u201d said Insler, the progressive strategist, who pointed to Galindo\u2019s outspoken opposition to the Iran war and immigration detentions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have a right to be angry about some of the things that are happening at the will of our government,\u201d Insler said. \u201cBut I think she moved beyond [that to a] place where somebody that may agree with a lot of the same things, \u2026 they get lost when you start bringing a whole religious or cultural group with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Longtime sheriff\u2019s deputy Johnny Garcia, candidate for Texas\u2019 35th Congressional District, arrives to excited supporters at his campaign watch party held at Backyard at B&N Sports Bar on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Credit: Jo E. Norris for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Democrats have a tough hill to climb in a district that Trump would have won by more than 10 percentage points. But Gardner said Tuesday\u2019s results underscore why it was so important to get a moderate through the primary.<\/p>\n

Democrats have to win back a large number of reliable voters \u2014 predominantly Hispanic and in South Texas \u2014 who either sat out the 2024 election or switched over to vote for Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf the three Bexar County commissioner precincts partially in TX-35, Johnny did best in heavily Hispanic Precinct 1 on the South Side, clearing 80% of the vote in some neighborhoods. He also won rural, Hispanic-majority Karnes County by more than 50 points,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cAs Democrats in Texas and around the country work to win back Hispanic voters they lost in 2024, these runoff results are further evidence Hispanic voters want to support Blue Dogs like Johnny.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. A labor experiment for Democrats<\/p>\n

After three decades of losing statewide elections in Texas, labor leaders were on a mission to put some different faces on the Democratic ticket this year. <\/p>\n

Those efforts were unsuccessful in the Land Commissioner race, where United Steelworkers leader\u00a0Jose Loya<\/a> lost to Bay City Councilman\u00a0Benjamin Flores<\/a> in the March primary. <\/p>\n

And on Tuesday, another United Steelworkers candidate,\u00a0Marcos Isaias V\u00e9lez<\/a>, lost to state Rep.\u00a0Vikki Goodwin<\/a>\u00a0(D-Austin), in Democrats\u2019 runoff for the Lieutenant Governor race. <\/p>\n

Despite those loses, labor groups had something to celebrate last week in the race to replace state Rep. Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio). <\/p>\n

SAISD union leader Adrian Reyna<\/a>\u2018s victory in the House District 125 primary means the heavily blue district is likely to send the rare public school teacher \u2014 and rare rank-and-file union member \u2014 to the Texas Legislature. <\/p>\n

According to the AFL-CIO<\/a>, which supported Reyna, the Texas Senate just added its first ever union member this year when Democrat Taylor Rehmet won an unlikely special election near Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Texas House currently has just two rank-and-file union members, state Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons<\/a>\u00a0(D-Houston) and state Rep. Mihaela Plesa<\/a> (D-Dallas), who previously worked for Lopez.<\/p>\n

More election results<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A still-raging U.S. Senate primary between Republicans John Cornyn and Ken Paxton fueled big upsets all the way…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319271,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[25661,8519,75424,132,134,133,75410,114491,55576,61611,33696,62999,10827,32624,92,81652,3028],"class_list":["post-319270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-2026-bexar-county-district-attorney-race","tag-2026-election","tag-adrian-reyna","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-carlos-de-la-cruz","tag-election-takeaways","tag-jane-davis","tag-johnny-garcia","tag-luz-elena-chapa","tag-maureen-galindo","tag-michelle-barrientes-vela","tag-texas-35th-congressional-district","tag-top-story","tag-tx35","tag-typedaily"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}